


Lies of a Feather

by Altlas



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Cussing, Fair amount of violence, Has a few OC's, There will be multiple parts but all in this one fic, Title could change, based on canon, nothing too graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-04-10 15:49:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4397867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Altlas/pseuds/Altlas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Shepard's death and the dismissal of the Reapers, Garrus heads to Omega in search of a new purpose. He soon puts together a team and starts doing some real damage to the Bloodpack and Blue Suns.</p>
<p>One night, Garrus bites off more than he can chew in a fight with the Bloodpack leader, Garm. At the last moment he is saved by an odd woman who knows more about him then he'd like. Little does he know, they share an old friend and she's come to call in a favor. </p>
<p>But, this woman has more planned for Garrus than she lets on, and unknown forces acting upon them have plans of their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You're a Pain in the Ass

**A/N:** Hello! I started writing this ages ago and have finally gotten back around to writing it. Hope you enjoy it, it's my first work. Also, as mentioned in the tags, this fic will have multiple parts, but I won't separate them into new works. Thanks for reading!

 

 

**PART I**

**Emerging from Nested Ground**

_“God gives every bird his worm, but he does not throw it into the nest.”_

_-P.D. James_

 

**CH 1: You're a Pain in the Ass**

"Gah! Dammit!"

Garrus Vakarian was no stranger to violence and the ever looming threat of death. Something he did have limited experience with, was running away from said violence.

"Garrus, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?"

_You knew Garm's Bloodpack would be right behind him. Shit, I'm surprised he didn't have his normal guard of at least three Vorcha with him tonight...You always were an opportunist, never passing up a chance to correct a wrong. Just like Shepard._ Garrus almost stopped running as the thought, without his permission, permeated his mind. _No. Shepard would have thought things through, she would have had a plan._ If she had still been alive, Garrus imagined Shepard would have scolded him for taking on the Krogan merely on a whim. She would have insisted on waiting for a better opportunity, one where Garrus wasn't in his damn civvies with nothing but a pistol. Shepard no doubt would have also pointed out that he was blatantly disregarding his own life. But he just didn't care anymore.

After Shepard's funeral and watching the Council bend over backwards to deny the Reapers’ existence, he thought he could do some real good on Omega without having to worry about all the bureaucratic bullshit. For a while he ran on his own doing what little damage he could to local gangs, slavers, and merc groups. It was only when he started gathering squad members that he began to hit the big times: The Eclipse, Blue Suns, and BloodPack. In fact, all his good deeds had earned him the name 'Archangel' among the locals. Butler always teased him about his persona and was constantly saying he was the 'Batman of Omega'. Must have been a famous human hero with an odd name. Damn what he wouldn't give to be able to call Butler, Sensat, Mierin, or anybody to pull his ass out of the fire right now. In his fight with Garm he had managed to break his Omni tool and in return broke Garm's arm and leg although he seemed to make a quick recovery. _Damn Krogans and their regenerative abilities._

Garrus was brought out of his thoughts when a not so distant Krogan barked an order.

"There's the bastard! Don't let him out of the alley!"

A wave of Vorcha poured into the alley and were taking pot-shots from the tops of the apartment buildings that surrounded the alley. There had to be dozens of the creepy little bastards on his six and many, many more that he hadn't yet seen.

"Well so much for getting a good night’s sleep"

Garrus huffed in annoyance. He didn't know how long he had been running, but every gasp of air burned in his throat and his legs had begun to ache.

_You need a game plan. Now._ He was running out of alley fast and would soon be on the street in under a minute. While Garrus had become familiar with the streets of Omega over the months he had lived there, he had never been in the 10th district. The only reason he was there now was because Sidonis tipped him off to some possible red sand deals in the area. He had known it was Bloodpack territory but he knew he could handle himself. _And its not like they would know I was Archangel anyways._ He had been careful to hide his identity from anyone not on his team but the fact that the general public didn't know who he was didn't comfort him much. Everyone on Omega had a weapon and everyone on Omega was likely to be looking for a fight no matter who they (or you for that matter) were.

_Spirits, Garrus your thoughts wander quickly. Back to the task at hand. Get away from Garm and his buddies without oh I don't know....dying?_ Garrus quickly regained focus and mulled over his options. He saw an intact fire escape in another alley across the street but probably could easily break into the building itself and climb up the stairs without having to worry about being as exposed. He could also continue down either side of the street but that was more of a gamble. Vorcha were likely to be dug into every street surrounding him just waiting to use their shotguns and grenade launchers. Whoever thought it was a good idea giving Vorcha fucking grenade launchers was definitely not in their right minds. So it was decided Garrus would fight his way to the top of what looked like a project and determine just how bad things were from the rooftop.

Leaving the cover of the alley Garrus darted across the street looking both ways for Vorcha he knew would be there. Surely enough they were hot on his trail shooting and shoving past anyone in their way. With the momentum Garrus had gotten from running, he easily broke past the door and headed for the stairs at the end of the hall. _Too bad elevators aren't known to work reliably in this part of Omega. Sure could use the break but getting trapped in an elevator isn't exactly on my to-do list for tonight._ As he continued climbing the stairs he was glad for his long legs skipping several steps at a time. Even so, he could hear the Vorcha hissing with frustration as they began the climb. One shouted to him almost spitting,

"You cannot run. We kill you! Even if Garm wants you alive!"

_Oh well that’s reassuring._

"Huh, I didn't know Vorcha could be so impatient...If you were going to follow me around town like the creepy Pyjak you are, you could have bought me a drink first."

With that Garrus picked up the pace flying up another three floors until finally he was on the roof. Not seeing any Bloodpack on the roof he just started running forward jumping from building to building. As soon as the Vorcha emerged from the building they began laying down fire making Garrus slightly uncomfortable. He quickly ducked behind an air conditioner unit pulling out his pistol. He looked up to determine the situation spotting one of the little fuckers with a flame thrower and was determined to use it to his advantage. He fired one well place shot at the gas tank hearing the unmistakable _sssssssss_ informing him he had hit his target. Garrus then came up a second time hitting the gas tank again, when his good aim was rewarded with a spectacular show of flames engulfing six or seven Vorcha. Not taking any more time to admire his work, Garrus quickly got up and began running again.

But he was tired and starting to make mistakes. While jumping to the next rooftop, he stumbled hitting the side of the next building dangling over the edge. While he quickly pulled himself up, his chest now hurt like hell. _Damn I think I may have cracked my plating. Didn't realize just how fast I was going._ In the midst of his pain, Garrus realized the Vorcha had climbed up the fire escape of the next building, cutting him off. He cursed under his breath and sharply turned right almost skidding to the ground if not for the wall he braced himself on. As he continued to run, hot pain seared through his left shoulder and he found one of the Vorcha that had been in his way had actually hit its mark. _Now if only I had time to stop and congratulate him. Hell, maybe I should recruit him...a vorcha who can aim is damn rare._

Garrus was instantly pulled out of his thoughts by the pain throbbing as his shoulder protested being flung upwards as he jumped to another rooftop. It was then he noticed the vorcha spraying bullets into the side of every building Garrus crossed, undoubtedly killing innocents in their homes and businesses. _Garm and his Bloodpack will pay for this and more._ The Archangel inside of Garrus had thought of a number of creative ways to deal with Garm. With this new found anger and conviction, Garrus spun around to shoot at the Vorcha. Sadly, this earned him another shot to the thigh and as soon as he realized his mistake, Garrus subdued his anger and started to run as fast as he could with a limp, towards a door on the roof. As he got closer the door swung open, and he found an angry-no annoyed woman standing between him and solace.

Before he knew what was going on, the woman pulled out two Tempests and yelled,

"GET DOWN, NOW."

Garrus without hesitation, obliged her and laid down. He would have ducked, but Turians weren't known to have that talent and Garrus wasn't risking getting shot for a third time that night. He heard her Tempests fire and swatted a couple heat sinks off of him before they could burn through his clothes. After what felt like years, she ceased fire as Garrus looked behind him to see blood and what he was sure was bits of Vorcha everywhere. He slowly turned back to face his apparent savior. _For all I know she wants me dead just as much as the Bloodpack._ He then bent his neck back so he could look into her face. Admittedly he couldn't focus having lost as much blood as he had, instead settling with questioning her.

"Why did you-"

"Vakarian, you're a real pain in the ass." Before he could ask how the hell she knew who he was, he blacked out, the last thing he saw being the bottom of her boot.

 

* * *

 

  
"Hey, Sidonis what did you say Garrus went off to do?"

Sidonis stopped cleaning his Mattock and turned towards the Volus, Erash, who sat on the couch playing absent mindedly with his Omni Tool.

"Well, he had been itching for a fight so after we went to the bar I told him about that red sand dealer Thralog Mirki'it in the 10th district."

It had been a couple of hours maybe one more than Sidonis thought Garrus would need to finish the asshole off but he wasn't worried. He was a big boy who knew how to take care of himself. As if reading his thoughts, Monteague spoke up,

"He's been gone a while though. Sidonis at any point did you think it would be a bad idea to send a buzzed Garrus out for a damn fight? Hell, he wasn't even wearing his armor."

Before Sidonis could tell Monteague to stop being such a mother, Erash spoke again obviously trying to avoid a squabble,

"Relax, Garrus would have called us if he needed help. Besides, he didn't touch his drink the whole night he just sat there brooding...or maybe that’s just his face, I can never tell."

Suddenly Mierin, Sensat, Vortash, Butler, and Weaver turned to Erash all with a puzzled and concerned look on their faces.

"What, didn't any of you idiots notice? Ah, let me guess you fools were all too drunk to notice? I swear, one day you will all be drunk in some pisshole and you're going to get killed for blabbing about the hobby we’ve made of lighting a fire under the ass of every gang on Omega."

Though the changes in Garrus were subtle, they were there. When they had all joined up Garrus had been a Turian of morals willing to bend the law to do what was right. Now, he was different. Something in him was missing and he wasn't just 'bending the law' anymore. On their last mission while taking down the slaver Kron Harga, Garrus didn't kill him immediately opting to beat him nearly half to death. As if that wasn't enough, he simply propped the guy up against an explosive crate and shot it, letting Harga burn. It was then that the squad realized Garrus had taken a turn for the worse. But no one in the squad knew how to broach the subject of Garrus’ change.  
Butler suddenly rose putting his jacket on.

"I'm going to go look for Garrus, and Sidonis I know Garrus can take care of himself but something doesn't feel right." With that Butler was gone, leaving the rest of the squad in silence.

"I feel bad for the bastard you sent Garrus off to kill."

Monteague had been lifting weights but turned back to Sidonis,

"It’s been getting worse...when he was done with Harga he looked like fried Varren."

Sidonis let out a sigh and decided to share a thought with his squad mates.

"Yeah, I know Monteague, he can be real brutal when his temper is out of line." 

Melanis, sharp as ever, voiced what Sidonis was only thinking,

"Do you think it has to do with his previous team?"

The Salarian stared at him emotionless as if trying to get to the root of the problem with a malfunctioning rifle mod.

"I mean, we really don’t know much besides the rumors and falsified info the Alliance likes to feed the public about what happened, correct?"

Sidonis’ thoughts automatically drifted to Shepard. He knew she had a less than pleasant past in regards to slavers. Shepard had apparently grown up on Mindoir and had lost her entire family to slavers or at least that’s what the extranet said. Sidonis knew he had little in way of manners but he decided not to offer up the information, Garrus hadn't shared it with him and he didn't want to piss him off so he kept his mouth shut. He was also tired of talking about Garrus like they were a bunch of old gossiping women. Besides, Sidonis had his own damn problems so why was no one feigning over his mental stability? _Because Garrus is king of the fucking castle, always been that way._ Even if Sidonis did manage to put his own team together he couldn't lead and hell, following was hard at times. _I'm a shit Turian with issues just like Garrus isn't that sweet._ Sidonis noticed Weaver and Vortash get up to head for their cots when Sensat shoved them back down the stairs quickly reading something on his Omni Tool.

"Butler just pinged me and it looks like Garrus tangled with Garm based off of Blood Pack chatter. Good news is they didn't get Garrus. Bad news is he was seen unconscious with a heavily armed third party. Don't know if they're a friendly, sadly."

Sidonis already knew they weren't friendly the only people nice to Garrus were his squad and the bartender when he got his credit chit after a night of drinking. Vortash was the first to spring into action, probably because he was Salarian, they never wasted time if they could help it.

"Fuck, lets hurry and go find Garrus before he gets himself killed."


	2. Old Secrets & New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Chapter! Woo! I'll be posting a chapter every week. By now I've probably added the Garrus/Femshep relationship tag or something of the like though it may be a bit sparse in this fic considering the time it takes place in. Though there will be flashbacks...I hope.

That incessant dripping noise was starting to piss Garrus off. He was partially awake but his eyes were still heavy from sleep and he had no intention to move his ass from his bed. Though he found it odd, he didn't remember there being any sort of leaks in his bedroom. Thinking of which, how the hell had he ended up in his bed? What happened last night? He replayed the fuzzy events in his mind. _Bar...Sidonis...red sand...Garm...oh shit._ Garrus' eyes shot wide open only to be greeted with harsh light. Instinctively he attempted to raise his hand to shield his aching eyes but found he couldn't move his arms or legs. He blinked a few times adjusting to the light, finally able to make out part of his surroundings. The place was run down, not surprising for Omega, and looked to once be some sort of clinic? He was strapped to what seemed like a hospital bed that was set opposite a set of cabinets that held various medical supplies and tools. To his left was a small table and chair. On the table was a glass and a gun. A Tempest. _Get the gun, get the hell out of here._ He pulled as hard as he could at the straps that kept him bound but pain shot through his entire body. _Damn, I must be getting too old for this shit. Getting shot twice doesn't help._

Suddenly he heard noise outside the room. He could hear the opening and closing of a door and someone shuffling about dropping things down. Like maybe big ol' guns. _Damn my perfect luck._ Garrus started to rock the bed back and forth with hopes of being able to hit the table and knock off the gun. Sadly, Garrus' plan didn’t work out so well and the bed simply tipped over unto the floor, sending more pain shooting through his body with the impact. Then with impeccable timing the same woman who had felt obliged to lodge her boot in his face, came through the door. He realised he really hadn't been paying attention last night, probably cause of the shit situation, but now he was free to get an idea of who his captor was. The woman was human, and though Garrus' knowledge of humans was limited, he didn't think she looked too old. But she had definitely been around. She had a large scar that crossed her face and several smaller ones up and down her arms. Her eyes were dark and empty, hair short, choppy, and equally as dark. She was dressed like most of the scum you could see on Omega, she wore combat pants and boots, a simple shirt and oversized jacket, but to Garrus' eye she stuck out somehow. Maybe it was the semi-automatic pistols, shotgun, and rifle that seemed to cover every part of her body that made her slightly different form the average drug dealer.

After looking over her appearance Garrus realized she had been staring him down with a bored and irritated expression, her arms crossed over her chest.

"So, should I ask how you ended up on the floor or can I assume you were trying to get out of that bed?"

Garrus decided if he was fucked, he was fucked. So why not be honest?

"Well my main goal was to get that pistol, but getting out of the bed would've been nice too."

She snorted with what Garrus thought was amusement, but her face remained just as stoic. It was sort of comical. They both stayed silent for a moment before Garrus piped up. "Am I going to stay here all day or...?"

Realization flashed across her eyes and she grumbled a sorry before she swiftly turned the bed back over. She seems pretty damn strong too.

"Can I get out of the bed?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Cause I can't have your ass running off before I say what needs to be said." Garrus narrowed his eyes. Something here wasn't right and he wasn't sure if this was going to be something he wanted to hear. She had saved his life and patched him up but her hostility was unnerving. He decided to press his luck.

"Look, I'll hear what it is you have to say as a thanks for not killing me as of yet, and then I'm going to leave. And I'd like to leave without having to kill you."

She quirked an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.

"Cocky. Should've expected it."

 _Expected?_ Her eyes became glazed as her mind wandered to another place but she quickly moved to the seat next to Garrus settling down and kicking her legs up onto Garrus' bed.

"Alright, story time, kiddo. Eleven years ago I was living on Ilium. But I wasn't some rich hoity-toity lady. I had been an 'indentured servant'. I was forced into it by my parents who had become far too poor to take care of our family due to some of my mother's...hobbies. My parents being selfish little shits, sold me and my siblings off, me being the youngest I barely remembered it. After a year or two, I escaped and stowed away on a ship headed for Earth. Managed not to get caught. Though life on the streets wasn't any better. I was constantly scavenging for scraps of food not even fit for Varren and got into fights every damn day. Eventually it paid off though cause I became a half decent fighter and got noticed by a local gang."

"Being recognized by a gang sounds like you got the wrong people's attention."

"What? Hell no. Being a part of a gang was the only real chance I had at survival. And I finally made it. This particular gang called themselves Aves. Sounded more like the name of a shitty band but whatever. Point is, I got in and started running with them. After a year or two I had made my way up the ranks and wasn't starving and alone so I guess things were good."

Once again she drifted off, a smirk on her face. Garrus was becoming impatient.

"I’m assuming this is the part where the story takes a turn."

"Yeah asshole I'm getting there, goddamn."

"Sorry."

She shifted, slumping down further into the chair, her feet almost touching Garrus' legs.

"Anyways, yeah, shit did change. One day after shaking down some shop owners like I normally did, I got called to the boss' place. I had never really spoken to her, she kept to herself and was always getting into new messes over territory, recruiting fresh meat, you name it. So I get there, we talk, seems we have a lot in common and bam she makes me her right hand man. Woman. We spent the next eight or so years running that gang. Never became very well-known but that's how the boss wanted it. Hid in the shadow of bigger gangs. Kept the cops away. I owe her a hell of a lot of favors for taking me into the Aves and getting me out even if I hated her for making me leave it behind. Found out she left just two months after she got me out."

Having finished she looked to Garrus, waiting for some sort of response. Is there something I missed? What does this have to do with my current situation?

"What an interesting life you've had?"

She immediately stood up, rolling her eyes.

"You know, I thought you'd be smarter."

"Well you have to admit this is a peculiar situation. From my point of view you killed all those Vorcha and dragged me back here so we could have story-"

"Shepard. Shepard ran that gang. She took me under her wing if that makes any fucking sense and she helped me out. Now I'm returning the favor."

Garrus stopped absent mindedly pulling at his restraints and stiffened, his hardening, icy glare now focusing on the woman who now had his full attention.

_Who are you?_


	3. I Didn't Sign Up for This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! As I mentioned, I'm going for weekly updates. Enjoy!

CH 3: I didn't Sign Up For This

"You dont believe me."

It was an understatement. She knew her story was farfetched and in Garrus’ eyes damn near impossible. _I know Shepard, or at least I thought I did up until five minutes ago. She lost her family to a slaver attack and then joined the Alliance. Even that I had to really dig for when I was still with C-Sec trying to find out who Shepard was and what she wanted with Saren. Does that mean the Alliance didn't even know, or did they decide to keep it from the records completely?_

"Garrus, I can practically hear the gears in your head turning, what is it?"

"My--what?"

"Never mind that, do you believe me or not?"

_I really don't. And I don’t want to._

"Do you have proof?"

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room and came back after a minute or two. In her hand she held a cracked datapad. She held it in front of Garrus’ face as he tried to make out the image that was flickering on the cracked screen _. It was definitely Shepard. A younger, drunk Shepard, but there she was. She had her arm around-wait._

"I never got your name."

Still holding up the datapad she snorted and shook her head.

"Call me Lark."

_Yeah, and I’m the Primarch of Paladin._ Satisfied for the moment Garrus looked back to the datapad. Shepard had her arm around ‘Lark’, their free arms raising glasses. They sat in what looked like a shitty bar or club.

"When was this taken?"

"Not sure, I don't really remember that night. It was years ago."

"Who knows about this?"

Lark sat thoughtful for a moment as if mentally going through a list of names in her mind. She then sat up, setting the photo on the table and turned her back to Garrus taking stock of her medical supplies.

"Besides you and me? I'm guessing near nobody. There were other members who managed to live through those days and would have recognized Shepard after the heroics with Saren but I...took care of them."

"Why do I get the feeling you didn't take them to dinner for a polite chat?"

"Probably because I've killed those people to keep her secret. If the Alliance knew the years between Mindor and when she joined up were spent being a gang leader, you think she woulda been able to do what she did? No."

"I get it, I get it, I'm not judging you. Seems like it was the right choice to me."

Lark seemed momentarily surprised by Garrus’ words as she turned to look at him, but it quickly faded from her face as it fell into its passive facade. Garrus still wanted more proof and still didn't really understand why he was in this situation, but he only wanted one thing at the moment.

"Will you untie me now?"

..........

 

"Anything yet?"

Weaver and Mierin were still combing the area with their omni tools looking for any trace evidence while everybody else did what they could to help. Melanis and Vortash were picking through the extranet and comm traffic while the rest of the group was on the streets trying to pick up what the locals heard. They still didn't know much beyond what the initial transmission between members of the Bloodpack had revealed. They knew Garrus had fought Garm. They knew there was a chase and then that's where things get odd. According to the Bloodpack a human woman had taken down a horde of Vorcha and then taken Garrus. Or maybe he went willingly. No one seemed to know and it was making things damn difficult.

Butler sat atop one of the rundown buildings that overlooked the area where the incident had occurred. In places like Omega, he noted, it was harder to notice evidence because just about every alley, every rooftop, and every person was tainted by blood. It made him feel hopeless. When he first signed on with the team and 'Archangel' he was thrilled to make a difference where things never seemed to go right. Butler didn't regret his choice, he always felt good after they took down another crooked business man, or exposed some slaver. It was after busts like these that he would feel at his best then immediately at his worst. There was still so much injustice left on Omega alone. How could he hope to help fix the rest of the galaxy? _One step at a time. At least you're doing something._

"Hey Butler?" He looked over to see Melanis reading through something and Weaver leaning over him to do the same.

"You find something? Anything?"

"Yes. The Bloodpack managed to get some images of the woman through their omni tools and I've been able to take those and distribute them among people here. Someone knows who she is."

Butler was surprised. It seemed too easy. Melanis sensed his unease and smiled. There was always more to it that a good samaritan.

"I offered a reward for information."

Nearly everyone had gathered around now and they all offered nods of understanding. They all understood how Omega worked. Weaver continued where Melanis left off.

"So, the guy told us he'd been renting out an old, shabby clinic to some woman who seemed to be in some rough business. He said he was surprised she took it cause she paid for the year in advance. With that kind of money you can usually afford something nicer." Sensat chimed in.

"Alright we're finally getting somewhere. So where do we find this clinic?" Vortash was two steps ahead, as usual.

"It's not too far from here. Let's sort out a plan on the way over and give this lady the surprise of her life."

Butler trailed behind, admiring their team working so well together. Though there was one exception, Sidonis. He was rigid, cold, annoyed. Sidonis never liked that they all picked Garrus as a sort of leader. Sidonis didn't like the way Garuus led. Sidonis didn’t like taking orders. It worried Butler to see him so lost but they didn't have time for it. There was so much more at stake.

.........

Garrus was a bit sore and putting too much weight on his leg stung but it was hardly the worst he had ever come out of a fight. Lark had just finished applying medi-gel to his wounds when he finally got to step out of that tiny room. The rest of the place wasn't impressive and confirmed Garrus' initial belief that they were in an old clinic. There were several crates stacked around the large main room with a small worn sofa sitting in front of a window that had been closed up. There was a crate acting as some sort of tables where stale food and guns in the middle of being cleaned sat. He also noticed there were a couple other locked doors that came off the main room.

"How homey."

"I know it's not much to look at but its hidden, discreet, and no one would think to look for me, or you, here." She went and plopped down on the sofa, reaching for an already open can of who knows what when the lights began to flicker and then finally give out. They both looked up confused, when they heard light footsteps on the roof.

"You sure about 'hidden' and 'discreet'?"

"Shut the hell up Garrus." She pulled the shotgun from her back and threw Garrus her rifle. He hated having to use weapons he wasn't acquainted with, especially rifles, but he was happy to have something that packed a little more punch if the Bloodpack had come to finish the job. That being said they were still at a major disadvantage. The place was pitch black since the windows had all been sealed and the lights had been cut.

"You wouldn't happen to have a flashlight on that visor, would ya Inspector Gadget?”

"No, unfortunately not. What, you don't have one attached to one of the sixteen different guns you have stashed back there? At least you'll be less likely to shoot me since you can see my visor."

"Nope and I don't need to be able to see you. You're not so light on your feet."

"A common Turian issue."

"That’s not your only iss-“

They heard noise at the only exit.

“Shit I think they're trying to breach the door. We can each stand on one side behind those crates and really shock 'em when they get in."

"Sounds good. Looks like we're gonna give the Bloodpack the surprise of their lives."

…….....

 

"Could you open the door any slower, Weaver?" For someone who had roughly a thousand years left in this galaxy, Mierin sure was impatient. And for a Quarian who often bragged about their tech skills, Weaver was taking an eternity to open the door.

"Someone really doesn't want us to get in. There are several firewalls keeping me out and it's pissing me off."

Butler was worried. Weaver could handle nearly anything and if the door was giving him trouble then what would they find inside?"

"There, got it. When you're ready we'll go through, cueing team two."

They had decided to break into two teams to cover the building since they weren't too sure what they'd find. The team that was breaching the door consisted of Butler, Weaver, Mierin, Monteague, and Sensat. Team two was led by Sidonis and consisted of Vortash and Erash. Melanis sat on an opposite rooftop with his favorite sniper rifle just in case.

"Ok, Let's go in ten."

Everyone readied their weapons.

"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One!"

The door flew open and their team poured in, weapons seeking targets. Team two entered right after. It was incredibly dark, and as they had planned, Butler signaled Melanis to hit the lights again. Within the span of them opening the door and turning the lights back on they had heard team two enter through a closed off window and heard some fighting. Butler had been expecting Bloodpack. Maybe assassins. Hell, maybe some druggies. But not this.

Garrus was on top of a broken coffee table fighting with Sidonis on top of him. Vortash was watching, shaking his head back and forth, not bothering to help up Erash who had come through the window with team two, just not very gracefully. Mierin had managed to land a hit on the mysterious woman's face. Her nose was bleeding and she was struggling between Mierin and Monteague. Butler had to try really, really hard not to laugh at what he saw in front of him. In fact, he had forgotten all about Melanis who was now radioing him.

"Butler? Butler! What the hell is happening down there I don't have a visual. Wait. Is Sidonis fighting with Garrus?"

"Don't worry, and yeah he is. Just get down here."

"Are you kidding me? Idiots."

Butler walked over to Sidonis and Garrus. They weren't seriously fighting but it was obvious they were both irritated.

"Sidonis get the hell off me! I told you I'm fine, and leave Lark the hell alone!"

"What the hell Garrus! Run off with some human? We busted our asses to come save you!"

Sensat and Weaver helped pull them off each other and they both finally stood up. Right then Melanis joined them.

"Did I just miss something amazing?"

"Shutup." Sidonis and Garrus said it at almost the same time. They shot looks at each other and looked like they were ready to start fighting again. Meirin seemed to have had enough though.

"Oh, enough of this! Can someone please explain what is going on?"

The tension in the room seemed to disappear as they all looked at each other and realized how ridiculous the situation was. Garrus let out a heavy sigh and walked up to Mierin and Monteague who were still holding the woman.

"Well first off, I'd let her go." They released Lark, as she and Garrus immediately began bickering. Butler began rubbing his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"I didn't sign up for this."

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Lying to Cover for the First Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter for the week! Thanks for reading!

CH 4: Lying to Cover for the First Lie

Everyone had taken up seats on the sofa or a crate by this point. You could tell by the tension in the room that everyone was still incredibly annoyed and confused. Also by the fact Garrus and Sidonis refused to look at each other. They had sort of made up when Sidonis offered to get Garrus medi-gel for wounds he might have opened up but Garrus politely refused the offer. Lark ended up having a broken nose, though nothing that she couldn't take care of herself. After she reset her nose she stuffed some cotton balls up her nostrils to hinder the bleeding. Garrus thought the way she sat perched atop a crate in the far corner of the room pouting, was hilarious. _By now I bet she's regretting ever coming into my wonderful life._ That reminded Garrus as to why she went through all the trouble. _'She helped me out. Now I'm returning the favor.'_ She never did get around to telling him what it is she needs. And he never got around to asking for her real name. _And what the hell does this all have to do with Shepard.?_

Garrus was going to get his answers but for now he had to fill in his team and he decided it was best not to reveal the truth. They'd be better off that way, the less they know, for now, the more elbow room Garrus would have while he got to the root of the situation. That and he was pretty sure Lark wouldn't have tried to find Garrus while out alone to meet him if she wanted them all to know. _Lark... that phony name choice seems odd. How much of what she's fed me is the truth?_ Regardless, Garrus liked to think he had good instincts because he had a good feeling about Lark. Well, she won't try to kill me immediately, that is. _She still needs my help for whatever fucked up shit she wants to drag me into._ Garrus clasped his hands together and let out a long sigh. He hated lying to the only people he had managed to trust since arriving in Omega.

"So...I guess I should do some explaining. I ran into Garm last night while tracking down a red sand dealer. So naturally I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by when I noticed the Bloodpack wasn't anywhere to be seen. And as you can tell," Garrus gestured to his various wounds.

"It didn't go too well. It probably would've ended with me in little lumpy bloody bits if it wasn't for Lark over here."

She raised her head when she heard her name, leveling a warning glare to Garrus as if to say 'You better not spill the beans or I'll fucking spill your guts'. _Charming._

"I was surprised to see Lark since-" Garrus saw Lark visibly tense, leaning forwards with her hands wrapped in tight balls.

"-since the last time I saw her was when we were both at C-Sec." Lark relaxed, a small smirk on her face.

"She was investigating something having to do with a sensitive mishap on the Citadel when she happened to stumble upon my...situation."

Archangel’s team let out a collective sigh which they all must have been holding, the air in the clinic was not so thick with distrust and suspicion anymore even if many questions remained. Garrus was not opposed to lying for the greater good, and Lark certainly didn’t seem to be above it. Thus he maneuvered his way through a carefully spun tale, that Lark was a C-Sec agent investigating a well-known politician on the Citadel who was rumored to be partaking in some unsavory business on Omega. After Garrus had given some vague points of detail that he hoped in vain would be satisfactory to his team, there was a long moment of silence, at which point Vortash moved from where he was sitting over to the window, with a question in mind.

“Who is this politician you’re after? Since when does C-Sec leave the safety of the Citadel for a trash heap like Omega? Must be a real thorn in your side for them to send some-“

Lark stood up, taking on an authoritative pose, shoulders rigid, arms behind her back.

“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that information, especially since you are all acting outside the law. Though Omega doesn’t have much use for those, I am still bound to follow Citadel protocol.”

Garrus looked up at her, absentmindedly crushing glass from the destroyed window under his boot. It was almost funny, this Lark gave off an aura to be respected, to be taken seriously, a Lark very different from the one who had regaled stories of her and Shepard’s gang days on Ilium. She was a very good liar, and maybe most at home in the folds of a fake identity and persona. This fact alone would not make her dangerous, but in combination with big guns, smarts, and connections it would prove her to be a nuisance for anyone who managed to piss her off. Garrus wasn’t certain yet if she possessed any of these attributes. _Well, that’s not entirely true. She does have the guns. More than enough to go around._ Garrus was yanked from his thoughts as he heard Meirin’s rough and pointed voice, cutting to the point as only someone with the wisdom of one hundred and sixty years in this galaxy can bring.

“So, what you’re saying is beyond what Garrus has told us we aren’t going to learn jack shit about why you’re here or who you are. Fair enough. Garrus seems to trust you well enough and that’ll have to do. For now. What’s our next move?”

At that moment Sidonis wanted nothing more than to walk right out that door and never see this woman again. _Oh yes let’s trust the woman we met an hour ago, with questionable motive, and move on like nothing happened._ Sidonis had the unshakeable feeling that everything they had been told about this ‘Lark’ was utter crap. Sidonis had met his fair share of seedy people and with that comes the ability to see the filth that you can’t wash off. He could see that she had her walls up and that if she were a Turian her plating would be strong. Yet he knew if the need arose, he would be able to expose her vulnerable under belly. Sidonis decided to test the waters with Lark.

“Mierin, Garrus, I can’t just move on with no information and I have my doubts-“ Sidonis looked to Lark who met him with a glassy glare.

“-that Lark here would just happen to stumble upon Garrus at his exact moment of need. Don’t tell me that’s the story you’re going with lady.”

Everyone in the room silently looked to Garrus who was racking his mind for a half decent response that wouldn’t rouse suspicion. _Sidonis, why did you have to pick now to pull your head out of your ass and give a damn?_ Garrus was prepared to answer when Lark plopped down on the sofa, head hung low.

“Alright, fair enough. You guys have no reason to trust me and even Garrus has very little. It doesn’t help we’ve all become acquainted under piss poor circumstances. The fact of the matter is, I’ve been keeping tabs on Garrus. Ever since the Normandy went down and the rest of the galaxy swept the Geth and Reaper issue under the rug, I followed his moves, or what little of them I could find. I knew he was here and while my assignment is my first priority, curiosity got the best of me. In my gut I knew Garrus had to be involved with Archangel. Just didn’t think he would be Archangel.”

As Lark spoke, she walked over to a safe pulling out one of many data pads. She threw it down on the table and it was quickly picked up by Vortash and passed around. Sidonis was the last to receive it after Garrus. It looked to be Garrus’ official C-Sec file, the more classified bits and all. Sidonis and Garrus had the same thought as they looked to Lark.

_Well played._

…………………

Archangel’s team eventually packed up and went on home but not before offering Lark a place to crash since they had made her little clinic a little worse for wear. Lark, of course, refused due to ‘protocol’ but linked everyone to her omni-tool so that they could communicate. She would now have to move to a new location, she didn’t want anyone from Archangel’s team stopping by unexpectedly or worse, casing her every move. So she would move on to a new location and as an extra precaution, find a safe house. _This is more work than I anticipated. I didn’t expect Garrus to be working with a squad of this size. Everything in his files point to the contrary. Lone wolf behavior. Members of the Normandy spoke of it often in reports. Even Shepard._

While Lark was concerned, it was nothing that would hinder the task at hand. She had been in more strenuous situations and would proceed as planned. When she was certain that the clinic hadn’t been bugged and anyone who might have lingered in the area was truly gone, she unlocked the small back room of the clinic which had once served as storage for medical supplies, if the pill bottles and needles that remained were any indication. Lark quickly checked her omni tool to make sure she had enough credits to get herself a new hole in the wall to call home. Unsurprised, she found plenty of funds and began to gather the bare essentials she would need for a maximum of a week.

_When jumping ship, it’s best to take what I need now and come back around for the rest. No way am I just gonna stroll onto the street with this much stuff in such a shitty neighborhood. If the amount of supplies and high tech electronics I have don’t scream ‘I’m filthy fucking rich’ then the guns sure as shit will._ She hoped no one would be foolish enough to attack her when she was so well armed, but people around here weren’t always of sound mind or looking out for themselves. They were desperate. Lark knew the feeling. She had been a desperate kid once, nothing to her name. As much as she hated to admit it Lark had nothing but fond memories of her time with the Aves and Shepard. _Shepard, you bitch. Left me to finish cleaning up your mess. Nothing’s changed, even if you are dead._

Lark squatted in front of an old chest tugging open the worn down container. To the ignorant eye, it looked to be full of junk. To Lark, it was her closest connection to her gang and friend. Inside were Shepard’s old boots that she had given her cause she didn’t have any real shoes, the bandana she wore over her face when she robbed stores, Shepard’s favorite lighter, brass knuckles, an old knife, data pads full of photos, and the last message she ever received from Shepard. That she was free to leave the gang. With a heavy, exhausted sigh, Lark pulled herself up and placed some essentials and the small chest by the front door. She would never leave it unattended. Too much risk in people sticking their noses where they sure as hell didn’t belong. _Enough reminiscing._

As Lark tucked her ratty Paladin into the back of her belt and under her shirt the light of her console flashing, filled the gloomy hall with light. She immediately tensed. She wasn’t expecting any calls. Not yet. And not from Garrus’ team. She had given them contact information but not for her console, which was more secure then the latches on a Quarian’s environment suit. Calming herself, Lark slipped down the hall, whispering to herself to prepare for the conversation at hand.

“Let’s see what the all-powerful benefactor wants at this ungodly hour.”

She entered the room and accepted the call, having already wasted enough of their time. A deep voice, distorted beyond recognition, filled the dilapidated clinic. Lark hadn’t expected to hear from _them_ at this stage.

“Lark. Report.”

“Right, down to business.”


	5. The Past is Never Over & Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter that takes us back a few years...enjoy!

CH 5: The Past is Never Over & Done

_Fifteen Years Ago_

_Earth_

_Aves Gang Hideout_

“How’s recruiting going? We need more hands if we’re ever gonna pull in more serious work. I’m tired of having to pull people from Watch to assist on tasks that shouldn’t require us to use extra resources. Makes us look weak.”

Six men and women sat in a ratty, large semi-circle shaped booth in a hole in the wall that may have been considered a bar at one point. They were all nursing a drink, a cigar, maybe their gun. Speaking of which, their leader sat cleaning her precious Katana shotgun, hand deftly moving over it with a gentle touch. The remaining five members eyed each other, determining if anyone indeed, had news of fresh blood. Moments passed and the five members were worried they had nothing to offer to their shrewd leader. It was not in their best interests to disappoint. One man, did indeed have a few new recruits but enjoyed watching his peers squirm. Eventually he had his fun and finally smirked, knowing he was the only one who had delivered.

“Sure do, Mag. Got three kids, right off the streets, just how you like them. They’re rearing to go. I was thinking since we’re in such a tight spot, we should initiate them by sending them off on a few shakedowns, maybe get their friends interested in joining.”

Another man spoke up.

“Finch, it would be unwise to throw them into the fray. As you just said we’re hurting for recruits, we can’t afford to lose them in a petty fight or to take that sort of hit to our reputation.”

“Balsas, you’re over thinking this. We need to be bold. We’ve heard whispers that the Tenth Street Reds have lost a grip on some territory just to the North of ours. Now is the time to strike.”

“Interesting info Luscinia, but-“

Balsas, head of Parliament, the division of Aves that gave council and handled the logistics of the gang, had always been overly cautious and likely with good reason. The other heads of the Aves gang were usually inclined to heed his advice, but not tonight.

“Enough. I’m tired of sitting here twiddling my thumbs watching us disintegrate and fall into disrepair. We can take the Watch and temporarily combine our people with the Cast. Thoughts, Shikra?”

Shikra, head of the Cast, the meat of the gang who handled the brunt of the fighting, was never one for team work, which is why her answer concerned their leader. _Were they truly this worried?_

“Hm, I like your idea, Luscinia. We’ll take your Watch and beef up the Cast.”

At this point the head of the Exaltation, Jerdon, decided to attempt to throw in his two cents, hoping to sell the idea to their leader.

“Sounds satisfactory. Just think Mag, we’ll have more guns on the streets doing some serious work and we’ll start going into overdrive with recruiting. We would probably get more interest if we had a better rep, y’know? Then boom, before ya know it, we’ll have kids lining up outside this shit hole just waiting for a piece of the action. What’dya think?”

All eyes turned to ‘Mag’ who was still silently cleaning her weapon. Finch could tell by her slightly sour expression that she was indeed considering it. Finch’s smirk grew into a smile. He prided himself on the fact he was the only one in this accursed gang that could get a decent read on the boss’s thoughts. He knew he had finally won her over.

“No.”

_What?_ The smug grin on Finch’s face was immediately replaced with one of disbelief and frustration.

“We cannot compromise our structure because we’ve fallen on hard times. We have to now, more than ever, keep up appearances. As Luscinia mentioned, the Tenth Street Reds are desperate, more so than us. If they smell a hint of weakness, they will attack. We need recruits. Period. Thankfully, Finch has brought _something_ I can use to the table. It is concerning to see Balsas’ advice so easily disregarded by you idiots. Don’t let your fear get the best of your judgment. We’ll wait until the Reds are at their weakest point and strike with everything we have. Do I make myself clear?”

She never looked up at any point in her speech, focus on now cleaning the grease from her hands. Her voice had been even, hardly louder than a whisper. It gave Finch a false sense of safety in his rebuttal.

“Come on, Mag. We can’t play the waiting game forever. This is bullshit and you know it.”

The other four members all shifted to face Finch, fear in their eyes. He didn’t seem to care or notice and continued onward.

“We deserve better. This gang deserves to be at the top of the mother fucking food chain and everyone in this room knows it. I refuse to sit at this table chit-chatting instead of acting. We’re weak.”

Finch had barely finished, venom dripping from his voice, when in one swift movement the table the leaders of Aves sat around was thrown over and Finch was tossed over the side of the booth. The remaining members knew Finch had gone too far and that punishment would follow. No one moved. Mag had one foot on the seat of the booth, the other on the top of the booth.

“All of you get out. We have some business to discuss.”

They calmly shuffled out of the room, Balsas the last to leave and only one to speak.

“Magpie. Let me know when you want to go over our current inventory.”

“Will do.”

As she answered she didn’t look up, dangerous glare leveled at Finch who might as well have been pinned to the floor by it.

With that, the door finally shut and the bar was quiet. After what seemed like an eternity, Mag let out a grunt and leapt off the booth, motioning for Finch to help her pick up the table. They moved the table back into its previous position and Finch began to pick up the pieces of glass that had been scattered across the floor. Shepard began to walk around the room, eventually turning to face the boarded up window, staring almost as if she was attempting to will an image of the outside to appear.

“You’re all getting far too rowdy. Did you all shove a bunch of cotton in your shitty ears before you showed up? Especially you. Finch, you may be my right hand but you’re doing a wonderful job of fucking it up.”

Finch let out a soft laugh, settling on the least dirty part of the floor, turning over the glass shards in his palm.

“Oh come on, _Magpie,_ you know I’m only trying to help. Would you rather I kiss ass, sit and nod with every choice you make? Besides, I thought it was a half decent idea, putting more guns on the street. They like you. The Aves, Balsas, Luscinia, Jerdon, Shikra. But you know what they like more? The idea of being the king of the hill and getting there sooner, rather than later. They’re set on getting there and if you push them, they’ll do it with or without you, Shepard.”

Shepard came closer to the window and stretched out her hand, moving it across the boards.

“Hmph, you haven’t changed. _That’s_ what I want to hear. That’s real advice, not the performance you just put on. I’ll think about it. Now scram, you’ve got recruits to show around. 'Initiation' will be the first major hit we’ve made in a year.”

“Oh? And what did you have in mind?”

“We may be hitting the Tenth Street Reds sooner than we thought. Things are moving along swimmingly.”

_Wait…’moving along swimmingly’? Did she…_

“Shepard, you wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with their current misfortune, would you? 'Cause- wait, last month you asked me for the rest of my Semtex and you never did tell me what you used it for…Christ Shepard, were you the one who _blew up_ that depot they were using for God knows what?”

Shepard only shrugged, no emotion or change in posture betraying a single thought.

“I didn’t blow it up, Finch.”

“Oh, I see, well then I guess we got lu-“

“It was a _precise demolition job_. I didn’t just throw the charges around like a buffoon. Let all the people out before it went down too. Slavery ring. They’re probably the ones responsible for those pesky ambushes and attacks the Reds have been dealing with. Might have shared some info with them. Bastards got what they deserved.”

Finch knew Shepard would do as she pleased, but he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was going to get herself killed one day.

“So that’s why you’re not concerned. You’ve been planning their downfall for, what, months? Fuck, I’d really hate to be a Red right now. Think we can lure any of them to us?”

Shepard’s hand flinched away from the board, looking closely at her hand. _Fucking splinters_. She turned for the door, finally facing Finch.

“Not in a million god damn years. They sell people, they don’t have the option of coming to us. Hell would be too good for them. Are we ever going to fix that window?”

Finch picked himself up from the floor and walked towards the door, hand on the knob.

“Understood. And no, we don’t have the money for it. I better get back to the recruits. I’ll see ya around Shepard.

“One last thing Finch.”

Shepard pulled Finch by the shirt and pushed him against the wall adjacent to the door, her face only inches from his.

“This isn’t like when we were kids. The past it the past. You fuck up or call me Shepard one more time and I _will_ kill you.”

Finch grunted from the force. _Fantastic now my back’s gonna be sore for the rest of the day, at least._

“If the past was the past we wouldn’t have gotten to this point. Together. You blew up that-

“Demolished.”

“- _demolished_ that Reds depot and you know what, it's gonna spell the end for them. Fifteen minutes ago you knocked that table over and now it’s gonna creak whenever you put your feet up on it like you do when we have debriefings. The past may happen and seem gone as time muddles it, but it always leaves its mark.”

Shepard-Magpie-opened the door and paused for a moment in the doorway.

“Keep the philosophical gabber to yourself. What I said still stands, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, got it.”

“Fucking finally. I’ve got shit to do. And so do you”

With that Shepard slipped through the door, leaving Finch in the bar.

…………………

Aves Gang Structure (This was probably really confusing, sorry.)

 

Gang has four different ability based groups used for different tasks:

Leader- Magpie (Shepard)

Second in Command- Finch

Cast-Leader-Shikra Main fighting group, the muscle

Watch-Leader-Luscinia Like a guard/info brokers, watches over territory

Exaltation-Leader-Jerdon Spies, con artists

Parliament-Leader-Balsas The brains, handles logistics

 


	6. Mother Dearest

CH 6: Mother Dearest

It had been an incredibly long day after properly meeting Lark and having been attacked by his unsuspecting team mates, and all. _I’ll have to go back to Lark’s clinic soon. Set up a way to monitor her activity…see what she may be hiding from us and see what I can learn. Damn, this is exhausting._ All Garrus wanted at that moment was to shuffle into their base of operations, crawl upstairs, and not see the light of Omega for at least a week. He thought he’d get away with it too, that is he thought he was home free as he finally made it up the stairs, the door to his room in sight. Mierin had followed, unsatisfied with the thought of letting Garrus slip away to his corner of the base without properly debriefing.

“Oh no you don’t Garrus we’ve still got a lot to talk about and your sorry ass isn’t getting out of it.”

Garrus nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice.

“It can wait until tomorrow, right? I just need some shut eye and to rest my weary, old bones, I was shot after all."

“Yes, you were. While we’re down there I want to look over you bandages. Might as well replace them and see if anything is infected. Also we need to talk about that Ripper girl who wants to join up. Now get your butt downstairs.”

Garrus let out a huff of air, knowing he wouldn’t win this one.

“Yes mother dearest, I’ll be down right away.”

Mierin rolled her eyes and turned to head for the stairs calling to the remaining members that Garrus would indeed join them. _Spirits, let this be quick._

…………………

“Hahahaha! What a great story Garrus, though it would be better if you’d ended up killing Garm. Icing on the cake, right Butler?”

Monteague slapped Butler on the back which caused him to spill his beer and nearly fly out of his seat.

“Yeah, that’s the saying, Monty. So how are you holding up Garrus?”

Before he could speak, Sensat raised his omni tool, rereading data he had taken.

“As Mierin confirmed, and according to some diagnostics I ran, he’ll be fine. Garrus got roughed up quite a bit but I’m sure he can handle it.”

“Sure he can handle it but-“

Mierin turned to Garrus, face contorted with annoyance, but eyes glazed over with concern.

“-you need to be more careful. You can’t keep pulling stunts like this. We’re worried about you Garrus"

“Worried about me? The wounds will heal up just fine.“

“It’s more than that Garrus. We’re worried about how you’ve been lately.”

Sidonis’ eyes shot to his side to Mierin who was focused on Garrus. He could have sworn his gaze must have been digging into her skin because she glanced towards Sidonis, in a silent battle over the topic she had broached. _Oh no no Mierin, we are absolutely not having this conversation. No way in hell am I gonna be a part of the ‘Garrus has an attitude issue’ intervention. I’d rather kick Monteague in the quad and be subsequently tossed from the rooftop._ Sidonis raised himself out of his seat and made way for the kitchen, where he could get a stronger drink and take shelter from a conversation that was bound to end poorly. But Erash just had to say something about Sidonis’ swift exit.

“Sidonis, where are you going?”

“Kitchen.”

“Excellent, could you grab me one of those tasty treats that Melanis bought me from-“

“No.”

“Oh, apologies, Paladin-clan.”

All attention was now on their little exchange. Erash looked down towards his feet, kicking them back and forth as they could not reach the ground when he sat on the couch.

“What is wrong with you Sidonis?”

“Oh put a plug in it Butler. Leave me alone.”

Garrus was still hung up on what Mierin had said moments ago.

“What, have you guys been saying about me? Is this some sort of intervention?”

“Mierin, this is all your damn fault. We don’t need this shit right now.”

“Screw you Sidonis. We all knew this had to come up eventually. And don’t take out your piss poor attitude on Erash, he did nothing wrong.”

Mierin turned to Erash and put a hand on his shoulder. Erash perked up a bit.

“It’s quite fine. I forgive you.”

_I can't believe these idiots._

“I didn’t do anything wrong. And ‘we’? I had no part in your gossip, Mierin."

“Untrue. If I remember correctly, which I always do, you said and I quote: ‘He can be real brutal when his temper is out of line’.”

Sidonis was at his wit’s end. _Oh, thank you for contributing to the shit show that will end with our deaths, Melanis._

“You said what?”

Garrus was standing now, crushed beer can in hand.

“Garrus…”

“No, Mierin, enough. How long has this been going on? I do not have anger issues!”

Garrus threw his beer can at the ground and with the hollow sound of metal hitting concrete, it bounced and finally rolled under the sofa. Everyone watched the can, eyes still fixed on the spot where it had disappeared. Weaver was the first to look back to Garrus, and speak.

“Case and point I’d say.”

Vortash, hummed in agreement, Monteague let out a string of laughs, and Mierin couldn’t do anything but rub her temples, eyes securely shut. The rest of the team sat motionless, awaiting their fate.

“Alright that’s enough excitement for one day. I’m going to bed. If you value your lives, leave me in peace. It’s like I have nine mothers.”

It was a barely audible whisper, but his friends got the idea. With that Garrus quietly walked upstairs and the rest of the group dispersed. Butler and Mierin lingered for a moment, supremely frustrated.

“We never got a chance to bring up Ripper. What a mess.”

“Don’t worry Mierin. He’ll come around, he always does. Just go easy on him, alright? You know how he can be.”

Mierin pushed off of the sofa and stretched. She stood for a moment, gaze falling on the staircase as if hoping her stare may summon Garrus back into their company. She only wanted what was best for him.

“I know. I only want to help. Well, enough talk I’ll see you tomorrow Butler.”

“Night Mierin.”

Butler was left with only his thoughts. _We can fight with the best of them but we’re all socially crippled beyond repair it would seem. Terrific._

Mierin quietly entered her room, sitting in front of her desk, staring at her terminal. She eventually willed herself to take to the keyboard and pull up Ripper’s file. As it appeared on her screen, she was reminded of just how little they knew of her. All they knew was that she was a, well, she, her name was “Ripper”, and that she was likely capable of breaking into any sort of system she pleased. That’s how she left a message for Archangel. She hacked his terminal and left him a voice message. Weaver’s pride was still a bit sore from the incident, as he was sure no one should be able to break into the system let alone know that it belonged to Archangel’s team. It had piqued Garrus’ interest and he had been planning on setting up some sort of meetup, but not before they had dug up more relevant data on who she was. As of late, that had become difficult since they had been busy eliminating a few of the many, many, shady characters on this trash heap of a station. Mierin was growing impatient, she didn’t like to leave situations like this up in the air and it had already been too long by her standards. Mierin was typically very careful, thorough. But at that moment she just wanted results, so she decided to do something reckless.

_Let’s see what you’ve got to offer, Ripper._ Mierin sent out a message to the address Ripper had given Archangel and would see if she got a reply by morning. Satisfied with her message, Mierin flopped down onto her bed, staring into the dark, shadows playing on the sterile white walls. She slowly slipped into sleep, letting the shadows set the stage for her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a pretty short chapter. I just didn't feel like jumping into the next part of the story in this chapter, I would've had to cut it off at an awkward point. But thanks for reading anyways!


	7. Let it Rip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I waited so long to update. Also, I've edited it and made a bunch of corrections but I still keep finding things so I'm sorry if there are errors. Enjoy!

CH 7: Let it Rip

Mierin sat in front of her bed, eyeing various articles of clothing tossed on to it from her closet, a few pieces on the floor, having not made it to the final round of judgment. To the unknowing eye it may seem like she was trying to pick an outfit for a meeting with a special someone, and they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong in this case. She picked up a coat, holding the arms out so that she could appraise its form. _Which one will conceal my pistols better?_

“Mierin, where are you headed at this hour?”

If Archangel’s team was to be seen as the big dysfunctional family it was, Sensat would be the crotchety grandfather who could sniff a lie from a mile away and was always concerned about his brood.

“I need some fresh air, maybe I’ll hit the bar.”

“Hm. Fine, just be careful. You know how the neighborhood is.”

“Sensat, you do realize I’m double your age and know how to use a gun, right?”

Sensat only looked up from whatever he had been reading previously with a look of concern in his eyes.

“Humor me.”

“Alright, alright. Yes sir, I’ll stay out of trouble.”

Mierin gave Sensat a small smile and a pat on the shoulder before heading out the door. After a moment or two, Sensat went to stand over one of the balconies that overlooked the bridge that connected the base to the rest of the neighborhood. He turned to his right and saw Weaver who was working on some electronic, no doubt trying to repair it.

“Weaver, come here. I have a favor to ask.”

Weaver looked up to Sensat and back at his electronics, seemingly tempted to remain in place.

“It’s important.”

Weaver eventually set down his tools and came to stand next to Sensat.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure. Mierin said she was going out to the bar but something about her face…”

“Sensat, you’re over thinking this. Mierin is the most cautious person I know. She wouldn’t willingly put herself into a risky situation. Don’t worry so much.”

“But-“

“Relax. She’ll be fine.”

Sensat let out a sigh, resting both his hands on the balcony looking out onto a sea of metal.

“I guess you’re right. Maybe I should get some sleep.”

“Sure. Sleep well Sensat.”

“Yeah.”

Weaver returned to his tools, continuing his work, but something didn’t sit right and the feeling only grew as he tried to ignore it. _Mierin had been acting off all day. And Sensat isn’t usually wrong about these sorta things. What’re you up to Mierin?_ To reassure himself, Weaver headed for Mierin’s room, quickly unlocking it with his omni tool. There was nothing unusual in the room. Some clothes on the bed and floor, the closet left open. Weaver approached the closet and noticed Mierin’s personal weapons chest had also been left open. It felt careless for Mierin. He noticed that two pistols were missing, the silhouette of the weapons left in the foam casing. _It looks like she took her Scorpion and her Phalanx. She never uses her Phalanx. Just where did she go?_ Weaver left the room after relocking it and made a b-line for the door. As he crossed the bridge he pulled up his omni tool and activated the tracker on Mierin’s.

………………

Mierin’s footsteps echoed against the corroded metal that made up the abandoned warehouse she had arrived at. _Typical. Meet at night in some spooky abandoned place. It’s like some of those vids Sidonis likes to watch._ Mierin had spent over a century in this galaxy which was meant she was considered young among Asari and Krogan, but old among races like Salarians and Humans. She always felt childish and small among older members of her race, but in situations such as this, she felt wise and more than capable of handling anything that came her way. Mierin felt the holster of one of her weapons, reminding herself of what she was here for. _Might as well get this over with._

She casually sauntered into the warehouse and stood at the dark edges of the space waiting for this Ripper character. Only moments had passed but she could feel herself becoming bored. _I don’t have all damn night._

“Look, Ripper if you’re here I’d appreciate it if you’d just come out so we could talk. This mysterious wanna-be vigilante shit isn’t all that entertaining and I’m busy so chop-chop.”

Mierin walked forward into the light, arms crossed with an empty expression. After a moment she heard the sounds of heavy boots approach her from the shadows. They stopped just shy of the ring of light that Mierin stood in, seeming to hesitate.

“You’re not Archangel. I sent my message to Archangel. Who are you?”

“Name’s Mierin. Archangel has been quite busy as of late so I’ve taken it upon myself to meet with you.”

There was a long pause before Ripper slowly moved into the light. Ripper was a Turian, that much was obvious. She wore a black ensemble, similar to a Turian military uniform and sported no weapons. _Interesting._

“Does Archangel know you’re here?”

“Of course. Now let’s get to it. What is it that you want exactly?”

Ripper put her arms behind her back, pacing back and forth in front of Mierin.

“I want to join your team. Plain and simple.”

“You’re going to have to give me more than that. That’s hardly convincing enough for me to give you the OK.”

Mierin leveled a bored glare at Ripper who only briefly looked at Mierin. In that moment she saw that Ripper’s eyes held something she had seen dozens of times over. _Grief._

“My reasons are my own.”

“The hell they are. This is a team. For all I know you’re on some war path for revenge and I can’t let your selfish need for blood get in the way of what we intend to accomplish. So, I’ll ask one more time, why did you come to us?”

Silence fell upon the two. A minute passed, then another.

“You’re not going to talk. Fine. This was obviously a waste of time. Don’t attempt to contact us or break into our network again. We’ll have a problem if you do.”

Mierin was halfway to the exit, more annoyed than anything, when she was stopped by Ripper’s words.

“I came here looking for a fight. I came here, looking for a reason to hurt someone. I’ve always had a temper and it’s married to violence. It finally got me in trouble during my military service, so I was exiled from the life I always thought I didn’t want. It’s too late to go back so why not forward. It’s high time I got my new life together and this is the only way I know how. Omega is a place for lost spirits. I’m just another lost.”

Ripper took a step towards Mierin, arm stretched outwards her, beckoning to follow.

“I didn’t come here only to talk. I have a demonstration lined up.”

_Demonstration?_

“A bit dramatic, but that’ll have to do for now I suppose. I’ll view this little display you have set up and we’ll see where it goes from there. Now where are we headed?”

“Blue Suns get together. Don’t worry, not the big fish just some street rats.”

_Lovely._ Mierin followed close behind Ripper when a message popped up on her omni tool.

**Weaver: On your six. Need some support from your friendly neighborhood tech expert?**

_Goddess, this is going to be a long night._ Mierin quickly typed a reply before getting into a junker of a transport with Ripper, off to find whatever the night had in store.

**Mierin: Fine. Keep out of sight and don’t let the rest of the team know what’s going on. As far as Ripper is concerned it’s just the two of us.**

…………………

After hiding the transport in a nearby alley, Mierin and Ripper approached a small club. The club basked in neon and black lights with the only indication of life being the laughter filtering out of the club and the Elcor that stood guard at the entrance. Mierin’s view of the club was cut off by ripper who now stood directly in front of her.

“Alright, so inside there’ll be some Blue Suns who meet here about every week that are usually waist deep in beer by now. Should make for easy target practice. Follow my lead.”

Mierin simply nodded before Ripper continued forward towards the Elcor.

“Bandur, good to see you. Got a new girl tonight, should spice things up.”

“Pleased: Excellent. Our regulars will be very happy to see a new face. Head to the back and get ready for the show.”

“On it Bandur. Have a good night.”

They both made their way into the club walking through winding hallways heading for some unknown room. Eventually Ripper stopped at a dressing room and once inside locked the door. She headed over to a clothing rack, searching for something in particular. Mierin stood next to Ripper, a little more than hesitant for whatever was coming next.

“Ripper, for this to work I have to know what your plan is.”

“Right. You’re-“

Ripper finally found what she was looking for and held it up to Mierin to gauge if the size was right.

“-going to pose as a dancer. This seems to be the right size, so put this on and head up to the balcony above the dance floor. From there you should have a clear shot. I’ll be working from the ground. My original plan was a bit different but it looks like we’ll have to improvise.”

Mierin stared at Ripper with a less than amused expression. She had the same look on her face as when she had been forced through Fleet and Flotilla with Erash.

“Fine. Never thought I’d have to try and put on one of these contraptions again.”

Ripper quirked a plate, with surprise that quickly dissipated and turned into amusement which she attempted to mask, in vain.

“Once you’re in position I’ll head out to say hello to the Blue Suns. It’ll be pretty clear when you can go weapons free. Balcony is up the stairs to your right. See you out there.”

With that Ripper slipped out the door and shut it behind her. Mierin didn’t waste a moment, putting on a dancer’s uniform. Before heading out she messaged Weaver.

**Mierin: Weaver.**

**Weaver: Yeah?**

**Mierin: We’re in the club about to hit some Blue Suns. Ripper wants to prove herself.**

**Weaver: Yeah, I heard your conversation. What do you need?**

**Mierin: Dammit, Weaver you gotta stop eavesdropping through my omni tool. On my mark, I want you to blast the music in the club as loud as it’ll go. Where are you?**

**Weaver: I’m just outside.**

**Mierin: I’m sending you the location of Ripper’s transport. Pick it up and have it nearby. I have a feeling we’re going to need a getaway driver.**

**Weaver: Will do. No back up?**

**Mierin: I sure as hell hope not.**

Closing her omni tool, Mierin put on her holster and put on a feathery robe from the clothing rack. She hoped it would be enough to hide her weapons until the fighting started. Ready, she peered out the door to see only a hand full of dancers lingering in the hall. She quickly headed for the stairs not too sure what she’d find at the top. _What about the dancers? The staff? Did Ripper consider innocent casualties?_ Her questions were answered as she opened the door to the small balcony. The club was empty except for five or six dancers, the bartender, and the Blue Suns. _It looks like they reserved the place for themselves. Less staff. Good._ Mierin scanned the group of mercs while slowly dancing, not wanting to look like she was watching too intently.

There were twelve men and women drinking and laughing, nothing all that interesting. Mierin knew the limits of her skills and with the element of surprise on their side and her advantageous position, she normally wouldn’t be too worried. But tonight she had been put into a situation with several unknown variables, the biggest being Ripper. She didn’t trust the Turian woman one bit and as she danced, she considered a plan B in case this slap dash 'plan' went belly up. It felt like ages and dozens of songs had gone by before Mierin caught sight of Ripper. She was in the same fatigues she wore to meet her and was still unarmed.

_What is she going to fight with?_ The mercs while drunk, were still well armed, weapons strewn across their tables. Ripper had reached the BlueSuns, sitting with them. She began talking with a bald, older man who seemed displeased with her sudden appearance. They were arguing, that much was clear as the other members began to reach for their weapons. She knows them? How? The old man finally had enough and pulled a pistol on Ripper. _Is this part of the plan?_ Two other members grabbed their guns circling Ripper. She briefly looked to Mierin, almost asking for an out. _I’m going to take that as a no. Goddess help us._

**Mierin: Do it in ten seconds.**

**Weaver: Done. I’ll be out back.**

Mierin slipped behind a small wall next to the door of the balcony, removing her robe and pulling her pistols out. She knew what was coming, but in that moment wished she had earplugs. Good to his word, Weaver raised the volume of the music far beyond enjoyable levels and the piercing noise distracted the Blue Suns, causing many to drop their weapons. Mierin pulled out from her cover and saw a blue glow throwing mercs in every direction. _A biotic? Huh. See something new everyday._ Ripper was doing a good job of taking on the brunt of the attack but she couldn’t keep her barriers up and kill off all the mercs.

Mierin slowly began picking off targets, avoiding fleeing dancers. Five or six remaining Blue Suns had dug themselves into cover and Ripper had done the same. They had noticed Mierin and were taking pot shots at her position. _Nothing I can’t handle._ Just as she turned out of cover once more, she managed to see a grenade coming straight for the balcony. _Nevermind…_ Mierin quickly ran through the door and practically fell down the stairs, narrowly avoiding the explosion. Getting her bearings, Mierin started heading down the hall, looking for a way to the lounge Ripper was currently fighting alone in. She followed the sound of gunshots and eventually came upon them. She waited for a moment outside the door, unsure of what she would be faced with. After a deep breath, she busted through the door and hit the nearest cover. It was then that she noticed the shooting has ceased.

Mierin looked up from cover to see Ripper holding a woman in midair using biotics.

“Come on Jedore, I know you have more info than you’re letting on. For a small fry, you sure have been visiting Blue Suns leader Tarak a lot. What gives?”

The human woman Jedore responded by spitting blood onto Ripper’s face.

“Gross. Not what I need.”

“Screw your needs. You’re not learning shit. I knew were sleaze bag the first day you came around here.”

Ripper hesitated a moment, deciding if it was worth it to push for more information.

“Fine.”

Ripper threw Jedore against the back of the bar, shattered bottles spraying alcohol everywhere. _She certainly has a lot of power. No wonder she goes by Ripper._ Mierin quickly scanned the area making sure they missed nothing. She quickly searched the Blue Suns' omni tools to download any potentially useful information as well. After finishing up she looked back to where Ripper was standing to see she was hanging over the bar counter.

Mierin walked over and swung herself over the bar, looking at what alcohol bottles hadn’t been busted.

“Ripper, we gotta go. There could be backup and I have no interest in a round two. What are you doing?”

“Looking for a towel. I’ve got blood all over me.”

“No shit. You just pulverized those guys with your biotics. You can clean up when we’re done.”

“It’ll only take a second. No one is likely to know yet. I blocked comm traffic.”

“Oh, come on we don’t have t-“

“Ah, here we go.”

Ripper started cleaning the blood from her face and eyes while Mierin kept watch. _Since I have to wait around might as well grab something._ Mierin nabbed a bottle of whiskey she was quite fond of when she heard a familiar voice come from her omni tool.

“Mierin? Mierin! We have to go! Get your asses out here! Bouncer just called the Blue Suns. ”

_The bouncer? Did Ripper not block his comm?_

“Ripper we’ve got to move, Blue Suns were called by Bandur. This place will be flooded with blue before we know it.”

“Bandur? Damn, I thought he’d at least be loyal to the bribe I gave him.”

Without another word the two sprinted out the back doors when Weaver opened the door of Ripper’s old transport.

“Get in, now! We don’t have much time.”

“Get us back Weaver. Without being followed preferably.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Ripper looked out the back window, searching for a tail. When she was satisfied there was none, she looked to Weaver.

“Who’s this guy?”

“One of the team.”

“But why-“

“Save it for Archangel.”


	8. Home is Where the Bad Guys Aren't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I am so sorry I haven't been updating. This last term of university really wiped me out. I have a few chapters written ahead of here so I'll post consistently at least over my break. Enjoy!

**CH 8: Home is Where the Bad Guys Aren’t**

_Earlier that same night…_

It had only been two days, but Garrus thought he had wasted too much time to go back to Lark’s clinic. He was on the building opposite the clinic preparing to do a thermal scan of the building. He had no idea what Lark did with her time so he would have to work quickly once inside. He slowly scanned the space, seeing that there were people on the lower floors but not Lark’s. _Good. Lets see what I can dig up._

Garrus climbed down the building he had been on and was walking down the street towards the clinic. He slowly climbed the stairs and opened the door with the code Weaver had given him. He was surprised to find that it actually worked, he thought Lark might have re-coded the door or at least put up some security. His concern didn’t stop him from stepping inside and having a look around. The place was brightened by the artificial light streaming through parts of the window Lark hadn’t managed to fix. _Just a patch job. She’s not looking to stay here._ Garrus’ instincts told him she had left though much of what had been in the clinic was still there. It wasn’t until Garrus turned around and saw the usually locked rooms, were open. The first room was nothing but shelving, it looked to be a simple storage room that had been cleared out. The second room looked like a sort of make shift office, desk and a long dead computer system that seemed to have been stripped. He searched the room and found very little, nothing that would give him any new info on Lark. He exited the room and headed toward where he had woken up only days ago. Nothing had changed, the bed was still there and some medical supplies. Finding nothing, he continued to the back room which he assumed was where she slept.

The room was relatively tidy, the bed was made and her clothes were all in the closet. After doing some snooping around, he found the datapad Lark had shown him as proof of her knowing Shepard. He decided to copy the image to his omnitool to authenticate at a later date. He also found three pistols hidden in strategic locations throughout the room, but nothing else of importance. Letting out a sigh, Garrus sat on the edge of her bed inspecting one of her pistols. It was odd, it didn’t seem to use heat sinks and had no sort of visual display to show how many round it held and mods.

“She certainly isn’t about to let someone get the best of her. Though this doesn’t seem too reliable.”

“I suppose it doesn’t seem like a good choice but that revolver has never failed me.”

As soon as Garrus heard the voice he whipped around aiming the revolver at the source of the sound. He immediately felt silly when he recognized the woman before him.

“Lark.”

“Garrus.”

Garrus lowered the gun and turned his body around to face Lark. _She almost looks smug. Here I thought I was the one who would be dropping in on her._

“You scared me.”

“Yeah I could see that. You nearly jumped off the bed.”

“I doubt it.”

“Maybe I’m over exaggerating, but it was still funny. So, why did you break into my place, Garrus?”

Lark held her omnitool up to display a video of Garrus walking up to the clinic and opening the door.

“You didn’t think I’d know? You’ll have to be a better snoop than that.”

“Fair enough. I still don’t really know what’s going on here. I wasn’t able to dig up any police records, articles, nothing about Aves or a ‘Lark’.”

“I would hope so. I do my best to keep out of the limelight. Still don’t believe me?”

“No, I believe you knew Shepard. But beyond that I can’t be certain of anything.”

“I guess you’re right. You don’t got much to go on. What if I told you what I needed your help with would confirm my story while wiping out one more shit gang on this god forsaken rock?”

Garrus was more than hesitant to learn more about her plan. It sounded like just the thing to get him killed. _A gang? Shepard’s old gang is here? Peachy. I was just thinking about how Omega needed more lowlifes. We’ve been running low._

“Why are they here?”

“I honestly don’t know. What was once the Aves was eventually joined with a gang called the Tenth Street Reds which originally operated on Earth and now mostly on the Citadel. It seems to me, they’re trying to expand. And they’ve been very successful. Though this wasn’t surprising, you see this shit all the time. I’ve been shadowing members and it seems they might be trying to expand beyond the usual. They’ve been communicating with known terrorists. They’re looking for more work to take on. Idiots.”

_Great, so we’ve got a gang on the rise that wants to put its mark on the world and make some cash with some known terrorists. Just another day on the job. Perfect._

“Fantastic, I’ve missed hunting down terrorists. It’ll be just like my C-Sec days, though I don’t plan on handing anyone over to the authorities.”

Lark let a small smirk onto her face as she sat next to Garrus on the bed, taking the revolver from his hands. As she began to talk she opened and began spinning the cylinder of the gun around.

“They’ve become a little too ambitious and I think their leader has been pushing for this for a long while. He’s gonna bring the gang to _explosive_ new heights.”

Garrus stopped watching her play around with her revolver and cocked a brow at her.

“Did you just make a joke?”

“No.”

“I think you did.”

“Whatever. Maybe I did. Point is, soon I’d like to give you a rundown of what I know and get a plan on paper. Not actual paper, but, shit, you get the idea. Also I need you to dig up anything you can on the Reds’ activity on Omega. Can you do that?”

Garrus took a moment. He still didn’t know how he felt about taking on some fledgling terrorists but if they were going to cause trouble, Archangel would have to take care of it.

“I’m not saying yes to this whole disaster but I’ll look around, talk to some contacts. See what I can find.”

“Good. Let me know if you find any juicy details.”

Lark got up, putting her revolver back in her nightstand and lingered a moment, holding the photo of her and Shepard.

“She was something else. She was so different from the soldier they show her off as these days. I wonder what she would think of all the propaganda.”

“Hm, she’d definitely hate it. Probably harass Anderson ‘til the end of time to have it all removed…she was something else.”

Lark’s face was masked by her usual cold exterior but as they talked about Shepard, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. After a moment she snapped out of her thoughts and motioned for Garrus to follow her. He complied and they were back in what used to be the waiting room of the clinic. Garrus sat on the sofa as Lark opened her omnitool and transferred several files to him.

“Here’s a list of names, and known hide out locations of the Tenth Street Reds. I’ve included my personal notes though they’re a bit rough. I didn’t actually expect that anyone else would read them. If you’ve got questions, you know how to contact me. Let me know ASAP if you learn anything relevant. The quicker we deal with this the better.”

“I’ll start looking. Though I do have one tiny little question. Maybe a favor.”

“Yes, Garrus, what?”

“I’d like to bring my team on board.”

“Not yet. If it’s too much for us to handle, we’ll give them some version of the story that doesn’t involve me or Shepard.”

“I can tell you now we’ll need their expertise. But I’ll play along for now.”

Garrus stretched and stood to leave. He would have to wait for another opportunity to find where Lark was now calling home.

‘One last thing, why are you packing up and closing shop? This place is really charming once you get used to the sterile walls and lifeless color. Has a certain charm.”

“Har, har. Because we made way too much of a scene when your ‘expert’ team busted in here and I can’t have all of them knowing where I rest my pretty little head. Or anyone else for that matter. Home is where the bad guys aren’t.”

“And where no one can spy on you.”

“Ah, so you follow. Good to see your head isn’t as hollow as I feared. Now run on back to your little home base. It’s a nice little place by the way. The bridge makes it regal. It’s like a mote.”

“No fair, you can follow me around? Also, what’s a mote?”

“Boo hoo. And look it up. Later, Garrus.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Garrus stepped outside onto the sidewalk, the nightlife was in full swing as the streets were becoming full of life. He quickly melded with the crowd and began heading home when he received a call from Sidonis.

“Sidonis?”

All Garrus could hear was laughter on the other line.

“Hello? Sidonis?”

“ _Garrus, you’ve gotta…you gotta get back. You wouldn’t believe what I’m seeing. I’d take pictures if Mierin would let me.”_

“What’s so funny?”

_“Just hurry your ass up, you’ll miss it. Mierin and Weaver went on a wonderful little excursion tonight. Made a new friend too. She’d wouldn’t be half bad looking if she wasn’t covered in blood either.”_

“Covered in…Sidonis-“

Sidonis hung up on Garrus leaving him confused as to what he was missing. _Spirits, these people sure keep my life interesting._


	9. Our House, In the Middle of Our Dump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! My gift to you! After the next chapter things might get a bit slow since I'm running out of pre-written chapters and I'll be back at school soon. Regardless, enjoy!

**CH 9: Our House, In the Middle of Our Dump**

 

Garrus couldn’t help but laugh when he walked into his squad’s home and base only to see Mierin in a dancer’s suit cradling a bottle of liquor with Weaver and a Turian woman covered in blood looking something over on a console. _I suppose it’s one of those nights._

“Mierin, I like the new look you’re going for. No one will suspect you work with Archangel.”

“Put a cap on it Garrus it’s been a long night. We need to talk.”

Ripper looked up to meet Garrus’s eyes, sizing each other up.

“That we do. So, who is this friend of yours who has tracked blood inside? Melanis won’t be too pleased. You know he likes this place spotless.”

Before Mierin could speak, Ripper intervened.

“It’s been driving me crazy. I would have cleaned it up earlier, and would’ve liked to have gone home and showered but I’m apparently an ‘involuntary guest’ until you came back. I’d shake your hand, but it may still have specs of blood on it. Pleasure to meet you, Archangel, though I wish you would’ve come along for the festivities.”

Mierin rolled her eyes. _Festivities my ass. A toddler could’ve put together a better plan. I am never jumping on something like this again._ It finally clicked for Garrus. It had to be Ripper who sat in front of him at this moment. Mierin had mentioned that she wanted to look into her sooner rather than later.

“Ripper, I presume?”

“The one and only.”

Garrus took a seat across from the sofa Mierin, Weaver, and Ripper sat on. His gaze passed over each of them, finding a final resting place on Mierin and Weaver.

“I thought I made it very clear that we were not to move forward with recruitment until things had cooled down around here. We’ve had every major gang looking into us for the past month. And what were these festivities?”

Ripper’s facial plates moved ever so slightly with amusement, while Mierin continued to keep her gaze on the ceiling. Weaver looked to Ripper and Mierin and since it seemed neither was inclined to speak, he decided to tell his story regarding how they had spent the night.

“Well, long story short, Mierin went to meet Ripper, I followed, we crashed a Blue Suns party, and got some info on their recent ventures.”

“Really now? How _thrilling._ I feel like there’s a hell of a lot more to that but we’ll leave it at that until our guest leaves. Ripper, since you know who we all are and you didn’t get my squad members killed, I will consider your proposal-“

Ripper nearly bounced out of her seat with excitement but Mierin pulled her back down onto the sofa as Garrus continued speaking.

“- _after_ I debrief my team and we come to a consensus. In the meantime, go home and do not contact anyone about what happened tonight or who I am. I think it goes unsaid what the consequences would be if you were to tell anyone about our little group.”

“How democratic. Contact me when you’ve made a decision. And this time, don’t wait three weeks to get back to me. Oh, and Weaver has a copy of the info we got from the Blue Suns tonight.”

“Alright. Thanks for sharing.”

Ripper got up and began to walk to the door when she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Oh, uh, Archangel?”

“Yes?”

“Can I clean the blood off the floors? It’s driving me insane.”

Somehow, Garrus knew she would fit in just fine.

Garrus convinced Ripper to leave the blood, Melanis would probably deal with the tracks as soon as possible. Once Ripper had left and Garrus had been assured they would be able to keep tabs on her movements, he called for his team to meet once more. _We’re doing more talking than acting these days. Someone could film a reality vid with all the drama and idiocy in this place._ Eventually everyone had been gathered and Mierin explained her meeting with Ripper in detail. Garrus was curious if what Mierin said about Ripper’s biotic abilities was true, and he was also interested to know if she were really this wreckless when it came to heading into a combat situation.

“Sidonis, you think we can find her in the T.M.P.D.?”

Sidonis had been more interested in Mierin’s story and livelier than Garrus had seen in a while. He hoped it meant he was in a good mood to help get to the bottom of this Turian woman’s identity.

“Hm, yeah. Shouldn’t be too hard considering we know she’s a biotic and was discharged pretty recently.”

“Think you could take a look? Sensat, would you be willing to help?”

“Yeah, probably. But, what’s the T.P.M.D.?”

Sidonis answered for Garrus.

“The T.M.P.D. It stands for Turian Military Personnel Database. She was military, we’ll find her there. We could give it a whirl now?”

_Well color me surprised. Not only is Sidonis going to help without a fight, but we can do it now. I forgot what it’s like to actually get something done._

“Good. Let’s set it up.”

Sensat started rifling through his omnitool and eventually found what he was looking for, putting it on a large display for their entire team. On the screen was what indeed look like a database, lists of names and search options. Sensat tweaked the search based on Sidonis and Garrus’ knowledge of the system. The narrowed search left them with zero results. Monteague spoke first.

“Nothing. You sure she was telling the truth? Could she not be in this…whatever it is we’re looking at?”

Sensat sat back, resting his hand over his mouth in a moment of thought. Garrus and Sidonis knew she had to be in the system somewhere, though to find her they would need more information or to find what they had gotten wrong.

“No, she has to be in the system. The Turian Military lists _everyone._ There are no secrets when it comes to personnel files unless it regards their activities within the military.”

Sensat began typing on his omnitool again.

“Well, we know she’s a biotic, a she, a Turian, and ex military. We assumed she had been discharged. Let’s remove that search filter.”

Sensat entered in the new search and after a few moments, two names popped up. Sensat each file, displaying their photos and there she was, Ripper. Monteague clapped a hand against Sensat’s back, only making him look all the more grumpy.

“Ha! Nice thinking there Sensat.”

Garrus stood and came closer to the image and name being projected in front of him. _So her real name is Neva Rovink. Not surprising, I doubt her parents would name a baby Ripper. Though it would be kind of cool…_

“Yeah, that’s her. Can you go to her file?”

“Hold on….nope it requires an administration key.”

Garrus thought for a moment when he remembered something he did a long, long, time ago. _I haven’t had to use his passwords in a long time._

“Here let me give it a try…”

Garrus opened his omnitool and typed in a name and password. After a few moments it confirmed they were in. Everyone looked to Garrus, curious, but Sidonis had an idea of what he did.

“How’d you get in? Your login can’t work for this.”

“I may or may not hold on to my father’s credentials just in case of circumstances such as these. Though it didn’t really do much good. Most of her file is blacked out….But-“

Sidonis stood from his chair having read on the file what Garrus just had.

“Spirits, she’s young, she just barely finished her required service. She’s also listed as missing and wanted for abandonment? Oh, that was a bad move sister.”

Mierin seemed the most perplexed by this new information. She never would have pegged Ripper for someone to abandon her post, even if she had only met her mere hours ago.

“This doesn’t make sense. She told me she _lost_ her old life, not that she had left it. Why lie? She had to know we would dig into her past.”

Everyone seemed deep in thought, until Butler finally thought he might have an answer.

“Maybe she was telling the truth. Something could have happened that would have made it impossible for her to carry on with her duties. She’s just a kid after all. Though something tells me she doesn’t have the mentality of a child.”

The team hummed in agreement, accepting the possibility, even though their instincts told them to expect the worse from people in places such as Omega. Kept them alive longer.

“She can’t be too terrible. She did offer to clean up the blood she tracked in. None of you have ever done that. If anything, we should bring her on and maybe this place will _stay clean_.”

Everyone looked to Melanis, who seemed almost happy at the thought of having someone else who held cleanliness just as close to their heart. Hearing this got Erash thinking.

“Garrus, did she tell you anything about herself? Does she like to cook? It’d be nice having someone around who would share my interests as well.”

Melanis turned to Erash and gave him an encouraging nod, both of them turning to Garrus for an answer. Everyone was glaring at the two though they didn’t seem to notice. Butler felt that if he didn’t say something now, something stupid or downright mean was going to rush from someone’s mouth at any moment.

“Look, you guys, they killed some Blue Suns, they weren’t on a date. All we-“

“What? We do not wish to _date.”_

“-What? Melanis, I meant that they were not in a position to get to know her.”

“What does that have to do with a date?”

“Jesus, alright on a date people try to get to know each other. They didn’t get much personal info from her. Though we know now she’s one hell of a biotic.”

Vortash seemed further confused by this information.

“On dates do they also engage in combat?”

Sidonis erupted into a fit of obnoxious laughter and Garrus did his best not to do the same. The rest of the team seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, though Monteague seemed equally confused. Butler couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Vortash, no.”

“Well…”

Butler shot a look to Sidonis who seemed to be thinking on some far gone memory. Butler had had enough.

“Whatever you do, don’t listen to Sidonis. If we’re going to learn more about Ripper, I guess we’ll have to ask her ourselves. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going home to my wife. Night, you guys.”

With that Butler pushed himself out of his chair and not long after, the rest of the team followed suit, leaving one by one as Melanis gathered cleaning supplies from the kitchen.

“Hey, could someone stick around to mop these floors it hasn’t been done all day and I could use-“

Melanis had reentered the living room to find his squad gone.

“-some help. The nerve of some people. This place might as well be a dump.”

…………………

“What a fucking palace!”

Lark threw herself onto her brand new, stain-free sofa having walked into her brand new, never-a-drug-or-whore-house, apartment. She had decided that if she was going to be stuck on a dump like Omega, she might as well find the prettiest shit hole around to call home for the remainder of her stay. She had definitely hit the jackpot. It was a small place, but it was a recently renovated development with brand new, well, everything. It had two bedrooms, which meant she could use one as her office and armory. _It’s a shame the place hasn’t be reinforced or made to sustain potential fighting. Can’t really ask a landlord ‘How thick is the glass on the windows and how thick are the walls? Could it sustain a direct hit from a grenade launcher?’_

The apartment was above and beyond nicer than anywhere she had ever lived. Lark rolled off the sofa and opted to sit at one of the stools tucked under her kitchen’s bar top. She poured herself a glass of whiskey and simply admired her new place. She felt a tinge of pride but it was soon washed away by the overwhelming feeling that there was blood on her hands that she’d never be able to wash off.

Lark had always wanted to end up in an amazing apartment and stinking rich. But not like this. She never imagined her life would land her in a situation like this. Lark wanted nothing more than to be through with Aves but here she was, chasing the remnants of her past life and dragging an old friend of Shepard’s into the fray. She didn’t like working with anyone she didn’t completely trust, but Garrus and taking down the remainder of Aves was a package deal. _There’s no going back now._ Deciding she was not going down that dark road, she gave up on her thoughts and kicked off her boots, heading once again over to her sofa. She fell onto the cushions, reaching for the remote on the coffee table. She flicked through channel after channel, not quite sure what to watch. She had never owned a TV because she was always too poor or too busy to think about watching shows. She eventually settled on a crime show, _CSI: Citadel._ It was sort of hokey and a bit cheesy but at that moment it was perfect. She sipped her whiskey and watched as a Krogan and Asari detective got to the bottom of a well-known Hanar’s murder. For about an hour.

The all too familiar ringing from her console pulled Lark out of her relaxed state bringing her back to reality. She set her glass down and turned the TV off, heading for her office and small armory. Before picking up the call she looked down at her clothes to make sure she didn’t have any sort of stains on it and ran her fingers through her hair not wanting to look like complete shit in case she would be speaking to _them_ again.

“Well, its now or never…”

Lark sat down and hit the receive button on the console, her image immediately being projected for whoever was on the other end of the call, though they never showed their faces.

“ _Lark. You’ve successfully moved locations. Good. Our info suggests no one has yet to find your location.”_

_Oh thank god, it’s just Richards._

“Richards. I would certainly hope no one has found me since I just got here.”

_“Yes, well, you can never be too careful. Have you filled in Vakarian on what you both must do?”_

“Partially. He’s very skeptical of me and what I’ve told him. I mentioned that the Tenth Street Reds were getting involved in terrorism and that they had to be stopped. He seems to agree.”

_“I see. Keep working on him. What have you said about Shepard? Does he know what we’re looking for?”_

“No. He has no idea. I’ve been monitoring his mail and comm traffic. No one else has attempted to contact him. As for what I’ve told him, all he knows is what I was told to feed him. That the gang is involved in slave trading and may have been responsible for Shepard’s abduction when she was young.”

_“Excellent, and I’m assuming it’s what’s keeping him interested?”_

“I would certainly say so.”

_“Good. You’ll need to pick up the pace and try to keep things moving. We have to keep him busy and any other interested parties off his back, understood?”_

“Noted.”

_“Good work, Lark.”_

With that, Richards disconnected the call and Lark was left with her thoughts. She was afraid Richards might see through her lies, but it seemed she was still the best damn liar she knew. _Garrus had to know the truth about Shepard and her past with Aves if he was going to help. Richards can’t suspect that I have any motive other than what I’ve already told him. This could be tricky to keep straight._ Lark went into the kitchen and deposited her glass into the sink, making her way to her new and surely comfortable bed. She fell into the covers and stared at the motionless ceiling fan above. _No one can know what I’m after._

Lark eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep, memories of her and Shepard’s past permeating every part of her mind.


	10. The "No Frills" Type

**CH 10: The “No Frills” Type**

_15 Years Ago_

_Earth_

_Street Market_

“Fucking kids, get back here! You’re gonna pay for that whether you like it or not! I pay protection money!”

The man who worked the stall they had just robbed was more agile than expected, quickly vaulting over his stand and running to catch up with the group of barely teens stuffing electronics under their shirts. The head of the pack was a boy with a clean shaven head and thin frame, no older than fifteen. He was leading the charge through the streets looking for the fastest way back to the Aves’ bar. He had convinced the youngest recruits that stealing some goods from the local market that could help their newfound gang may impress the more seasoned members, and thus make their transition into gang life go a little smoother. Everyone was eager to impress, the exception being one young girl. She thought it was an idiotic plan that they would certainly fuck up.

She didn’t think highly of the other kids that were recruited around the time she was. She had only seen one or two of them on the streets before and so far they had done little to prove themselves in her eyes. _They don’t deserve to be here. They’re pathetic._ The girl in question suddenly came to a screeching halt, running into one of her fellow member’s backs. _We can’t stop now what the hell._

“Why’d we stop Blaine? We need to keep moving that shithead running the stand is gonna catch up.”

“Shut up No-Name. I just can’t remember exactly how we got here.”

The group groaned in unison, now afraid they would be caught before they could reach the rest of the Aves. The two others with them, Jess and Mike spoke up.

“Great, great. Fantastic. Cool. We’re gonna get murdered by a guy who works in a market. I imagined dying doing something cool, man.”

“Oh god, we’re going to get arrested and Aves won’t give a shit. I didn’t even get anything good. No-Name, you got any ideas?”

Blaine, Jess, and Mike all looked to the girl hoping for a plan when they heard the shopkeeper they had cheated earlier, gaining on them having been pointed in the direction the teens had headed. _God dammit._

“Yeah, I’ve got an idea keep running until we see something familiar.”

With that, she began to run past Blaine and the others, headed for the nearest alley where they wouldn’t immediately be spotted. Eventually she heard the sound of footsteps following close behind her, they had all decided to take her lead for the time being. _Smart._  

They flew through alley after alley, for what seemed like ages. The girl, No-Name, was getting tired and her compatriots were becoming exhausted.

“No-Name, it looks like we lost him. Can we just stop for a second? I’m fucking exhausted.”

“Yeah, Blaine’s right. Haven’t seen that guy for a while.”

“Fine but we can only stop for-“

“Police! Stop!”

They all turned to the end of the alley they had just run from, only to hear the sound of boots clattering against the pavement.

“Fuck, never mind, GO.”

The group once again picked up the pace.

_We aren’t making any progress. Blaine took us the long way back to Aves and the cops seem hell bent on making an example of us. Fucking amateurs._ As the group darted onto a main road, the girl had an idea that was more likely to fail than work but she was desperate. She led her group through the main road onto an alley that would take them closer to Aves through an intersecting small street.

“Blaine, take the next left and turn right at the restaurant Pho Hung. Jess, Mike, keep going straight no matter what. Got it?”

Jess and Mike immediately nodded in confirmation while Blaine hesitated, a sour expression playing on his features.

“Fine, go where you want Blaine. Won’t be my fault if you get arrested over your shit plan.”

She then ran far out ahead of Blaine, Jess, and Mike, turning on her heel, out of their site. The small back roads and alleys in this part of town were like a maze, it was easy to get lost. Not for her though, she had raised herself on these streets and knew them better than anybody.

The remaining gang followed her directions and split ways, forcing the two police officers to split, following Mike, Jess, and Blaine. ‘No-Name’ knew they weren’t likely to go after her since she had already disappeared from sight and she knew the path she had set her idiot companions on would lead them to Aves territory and they would be able to get themselves to the bar. All she had to do was make it a little harder for the police to catch them. First, she would handle Jess and Mike. She took a left, then a right, and ran through a small warehouse, unlocking every cage and pen she could get her hands on. Her friends were right on time and as they ran past she released all the animals onto the street including Pyjaks which were illegal to have on Earth without a license. She ran out onto an adjacent street before the owner of the Pyjaks could catch her, having been stopped by the cop previously chasing them. _Illegal animal trade takes priority over a couple kids who took some goods. Now to find Blaine._ She headed for the restaurant she had mentioned to Blaine, hoping that their back store room was receiving its daily shipment of produce. _I’ll dump the crates into the alley, blocking the cop from following. Idiot probably doesn’t know these streets that well and won’t be able to catch up again._

She eventually came upon the restaurant and luck happened to be on their side. A truck was unloading large crates using an automated hand truck into the back of the restaurant. The girl ran up to the worker unloading goods and took the hand truck out of his grip.

“Sorry, I’ll give this back in a second.”

Before he could protest, she drove the hand truck and crates towards the alley Blaine was sure to soon run through. She waited a few moments then a minute, to no avail. _Is my timing off?_ The girl abandoned the hand truck and headed down the way Blaine was supposed to have come from. Eventually she could hear what sounded like a struggle coming from a side street. She slowly approached, careful to make little sound and peeked around the corner only to find Blaine had been pinned to the ground by the cop who had been pursuing him. _Fuck. What do I do, what do I do! Alright, OK, I’ll go grab the hand truck, set it to full speed towards Blaine and the cop, he’ll have to let him go and Blaine and I will get the hell out of here. Fuck I hope this works._

She ran as fast as she could back to the place she had dumped the hand truck which the same worker had just relocated and was taking up again. She once again pushed him to the side and grabbed the hand truck driving back towards Blaine.

“Sorry, man. I swear I’ll try not to break it.”

The man looked more confused and exasperated than anything. She came back to the same corner and readjusted the controls to set the hand truck on a straight path towards the officer at full speed which probably wasn’t going to be fast enough to cause any lasting damage. _I am not fucking with the cops more than absolutely necessary. Alright, done. Here goes nothing._ She lined up the hand truck and as she was about to let it go, she heard the last thing she expected. A gun shot. Her, Blaine, and the cop all looked in the direction of the sound, frozen in place. The girl shook it off, she knew that she had to take advantage of this and set off the hand truck.

“Hey!”

Blaine looked away from the direction the gunshot came from and managed to see what was coming, rolling out of the way while the cop was a few moments too late. He got hit squarely in the face by the hand truck and fell backwards, giving Blaine a few precious moments to run towards the girl he referred to as No-Name. Reunited, they ran back the way the girl came, continuing to dart through side streets until finally coming upon the road the Aves’ bar was situated on. They were on safer turf now, less likely to be caught by the police or anyone else for that matter. Blaine seemed more than relieved to have escaped the cops unscathed.

“Hell yeah! We fucking did it! The guys aren’t gonna believe this!”

“Oh hell no, you aren’t telling a soul, and neither is Mike or Jess. If anyone asks where you got that shit you lifted, tell them you traded for it or found it in a dump, I don’t care. Just keep quiet.”

“Oh who cares No-Name. You take shit too seriously.”

 They had begun to head towards the bunk house when a hand gripped each of their shoulders, pulling them backwards. Blaine and the girl nearly jumped out of their skin, quickly turning to face whoever had grabbed them. _Oh, fuck._

“Luscinia. Is there uh, something we can help you with?”

Luscinia, head of the Watch, tasked with gathering information, had a dark expression spread across her features, and the girl thought she may know why.

“What are your names.”

Blaine pushed himself in front of the girl giving Luscinia a courteous smile.

“Ma’am, I’m Blaine. Don’t worry about her, she isn’t worth talking to. I just got back from grabbing some serious loot.”

Blaine pulled the electronics from under his shirt and hit the girl on the shoulders, his eyes darting back to Luscinia. The girl, No-Name, reluctantly pulled a few electronics and parts from the band of her sweatpants and deep pockets. Blaine snatched them from her hands and offered them to Luscinia. She looked at the electronics in his hands, her brow becoming furrowed.

“So it was you. The bar. Now.”

Luscinia dragged Blaine and No-name to the bar, where Mike and Jess were already sitting in a small booth with the head of the Exaltation, Jerdon. _Well, gang life was nice while it lasted._

“Jerdon, these were the other two my men spoke of. They caused the ruckus in the market.”

“I see. Sit.”

The girl pulled up a chair as Blaine squeezed into the booth next to Mike and Jess. Luscinia sat next to Jerdon at the booth whispering to themselves and eventually gave their full attention to the four young teens in front of them.

“Jerdon and I heard of what you’ve been up to today and Blaine here just confirmed it. What the hell were you thinking? We are not petty thieves, nor do we act with so little thought.”

“Whose idea was this?”

The four teens all turned to Jerdon, then to each other. They all looked terrified. _Well at least they’re smart enough to recognize we’re in deep shit._

“It was No-Name! She wanted some new stuff for herself and forced us to come with her. She said she’d kill us if we didn’t!”

No-Name looked to Blaine, supremely agitated. _Oh, it’s on fuck face. I;m gonna kick your ass._

“Blaine, that’s not even a half decent lie, dip shit. Long story short, Blaine wanted to grab some electronics for the gang thinking it would make him look cool or some shit and we all tagged along. I went to make sure they didn’t do anything too dumb. Obviously I failed.”

“Yeah, you did. It was quite a shit show. You robbed someone who pays us for protection. Tsk tsk, I told him he didn’t have to pay us next month due to your shenanigans.”

Luscinia and Jerdon remained silent staring into space, though the sudden appearance of Magpie startled the rest of them. _Double fuck. Blaine looks like he’s going to shit himself._

“All of you get the fuck out, I’ve got to discuss the mess you made with Luscinia and Jerdon.”

The recruits scrambled out of the booths, No-Name pulling up the tail of the group. They all ran out of the bar with the exception of No-Name who didn’t seem to have a care in the world, nodding to Magpie before making her exit. Magpie watched the girl leave and then headed over to the booth the kids had just sat in.

“Man, that kid is a walking rain cloud. All doom and gloom. So, what’s the damage, Luscinia.”

“Well, nothing too serious. That girl, the serious one, she apparently hit a cop with a hand truck though nothing that caused real damage. A local black market merchant who specializes in animals was also busted in the same area around the same time though we don’t know if it’s related. The largest issue was the merchant they stole from though you seem to have taken care of that.”

“Oh, the black market bust was related, and a hand truck? I thought so. Jerdon?”

“Ah, well, I’ve been assured the merchant won’t give any details to the police or mention us, though we’ll be sure to keep a closer watch on the merchant for a few days. Magpie, what did you mean by ‘I thought so’?”

Magpie leaned forward, fingers tracing the cracks of the table top.

“Oh, I was there. I happened to be out when I saw the idiots run out of the market. I followed them, didn’t want them doing anything too stupid. I thought she rammed that guy with a hand truck though I was too far off to be sure. Had to fire my pistol to distract one of the cops. It was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.”

Jerdon and Luscinia both looked to Magpie in disbelief. Their leader had always been incredibly odd, but they thought she would be more upset over the fact they’d be losing money they sorely needed.

“By the way, why do they call that serious girl ‘No-Name’?”

“Jerdon and I have been told it’s because she won’t give her name. She really is quite odd.”

“Hm, I see. Give them all some menial task to perform or chores, whatever the hell it is that needs doing around here. Or give them to Balsas. He’s good at lecturing kids. I think. Also inform him to place them in the groups they were to be assigned to beforehand. Where was No-Name going to be placed?”

“Into the Cast. She seems to have a knack for fighting.”

“Don’t. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. Jerdon, you’ll taker her under your wing.”

“Will do, though she was already told she would start Cast training tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah, tell her tomorrow, Jerdon.”

Magpie quickly took her leave, heading out into the street in search of Finch, but another member informed her he had stepped out. _Well, looks like I won’t get to see him before our job tonight._ Instead, out of curiosity, she found the bald, gangly kid outside the bunk house responsible for robbing the merchant.

“Hey, kid. I got a question.”

“Oh, Magpie, I swear we didn’t know they were paying us! I-I was misinformed!”

“Whatever. Why the hell do you call that girl No-Name?”

Blaine looked down at his feet, kicking a stray can across the street, seemingly incapable of looking Mag in the eyes.

“What, her? We didn’t know what else to call her.”

“But why? Spit it out kid, damn.”

“Uh s-s-sorry…she told us she never had a name. She said nothin’ else about it I promise!”

_Never had a name?_

“Alright. Now scram.”

Blaine scurried off before Magpie even finished speaking, headed towards another group of younger members. _Fucking kids._

…………………….

The Aves’ territory was full of life today, many members overseeing a resupply, some fighting, and a few training the recruits. Jerdon easily spotted the girl she was looking for among the few training.

“No-Name, come with me. You’ve be reassigned to the Exaltation. Magpie sees potential in you, so don’t waste it.”

The girl was surprised, she thought if anything her ass would be kicked out for the stunts she pulled yesterday. _A shame, I was almost looking forward to fighting with those meatheads in the Cast._

“Fine, but why?”

“I already told you why. Now, am I going to have to keep calling you No-Name?”

The girl had thought of a name for every group she may be placed in. Their codenames were based off of bird breeds for some reason she didn’t care to know. All she cared about was her new beginning, her rebirth, she wanted to pick a name to match that. _This is my life now. Nothing matters from this point on._

“Call me Lark.”

“That’s it? Most people don’t take it so literally and go for something with a little more flare.”

“Just Lark.”

“You’re the no frills type, I see. Lark it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear god I haven't updated in ages. IM SORRY.


End file.
